ArchiveFebruary 2015

By: Metro Published on Wed Feb 25 2015 It bears repeating that the most surprising thing about the first few months of Mayor John Tory’s tenure at city hall is how inexperienced he’s looked in the big chair. Over the past few days, through the twists and turns of a ridiculous story about the city’s ice rinks, we've seen another example of that. First came news that, despite a bitterly cold...

By: Metro Published on Mon Feb 23 2015 It seems like a very small thing compared to the bigger issues facing a city such as Toronto, but a recent report on a single intersection at Bay and Bloor streets gives me some hope. Hope for a city that makes decisions based on facts and evidence, and not panic, pandering and gut feelings. Hope for a data-driven city. First, we need a quick recap. In 2007...

By: Metro Published on Wed Feb 18 2015 The most frustrating thing about watching Mayor John Tory wrestle with Toronto’s 2015 operating budget is the feeling that all of this could have been so easily avoided had the previous mayor and council made better budget decisions. Toronto’s financial problems are no surprise. They’re mostly the result of politicians who insisted on starving the city of...

By: Metro Published on Tue Feb 17 2015 Last week, in the midst of debating local issues such as transit, homelessness and whether Coun. Rob Ford should be kicked out of the room, Toronto City Council spent several slow-moving hours debating something they have virtually no control over — the potential closure of dozens of Toronto District School Board schools that are currently underused. It’s...

By: Metro Published on Thu Feb 12 2015 As a rule, I’ve got nothing against studying transit options. Without careful study, politicians can only make transit decisions based on their gut feelings — and I think we’ve all had enough of that kind of thing, thanks. But transit studies need to come with justification. Metrolinx and the TTC can’t just study every random idea. That would be a waste of...

Transit planning in Toronto has gotten pretty messy over the last few years. An understatement, I know. A series of elections, a bunch of Rob Ford sloganeering and some meddling from the provincial government has left Toronto with a tangle of competing plans for subways, surface rail and light-rail transit. But lo, an opportunity approaches. This week’s meeting of Toronto city council has agenda...